Prog ess of and apparatus for manufacturing water-gas



(No Model.) 2Sh eetsS.l ;ee t 1. r

GK. F AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFAGTURING WATER GAS.

W, W. GIBBS & J. Y. MQ OLINTO PROCESS-0 Patented Aug. 14,1883.

INVENTORS:

ATTORNEY.

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(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet A W. W. GIBBS &-J. Y. MOOLINTOGK. PROGESS'OPAND APPARATUS FOR MANUFAOTURINGWATBR GAS.

No. 283,234. atented'Aug. 14, 1883.

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ATTORNEY I body of the furnace, which is constructed of to the holders,by which the aforesaid objects UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE- I WILLIAM W.GIBBS, on NEW YORK, N, Y., AND J. Y. MOCLINTOOK, or MALDEN,MASSACHUSETTS, ssrenons, 13v manor AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, ro THE UNITEDGASIMPROVEMENT COMPANY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 283,234, dated August14, 1883.

Application filed January 30, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM W. Grnns of New York city, New York, andJ.Y. Mo: CLINTOOK, of Malden, in the State of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in the Process of and Apparatus forManufacturing lVater-Gas, of which the following is a specification. V I

Our invention relates to those systems of producing watergas in whichsuperheated steam is forced through incandescent coal or other form ofcarbon; and our improvements aim to increase the quantity of gas from agiven amount of coal, and to render it more pure by removingtheobjectionable sulphurous ingredient without the necessity ofexpensive purifiers and at the same time em ploy an apparatus whichshall be simple and durable.

To these ends we employ two fire-chambers in the same furnace, in whichtwo distinct masses of coal are first raised to incandescence. by .freeor forced combustion, after which the air is shut off and superheatedsteam passed up through the first fire and. the resulting gases ofdecomposition, thence passed down through the second fire, out through amass of water in a washing-chambenand thence off are attained; and ourinvention consists, mainly, in the features here outlined, ashereinafter fully set forth. x

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 represents'a longitudinal section ofour improved apparatus, and Fig. 2 a cross-section on line 1) w, whileFig. 3 is a plan view.

In the drawings, a a indicate the, walls or fire-brick boundwith iron inthe well-known manner of gas-furnaces, which it is not necessary tohere. describe in detail.

. The furnace is formed with two uprightfirechambers, F G, separated bya partition-wall, a, through which an opening, b, is made at the top,forming a free passagefrom one chamber to theother, as shown. Eachchamber is provided near the base'with a suitable grate, on which thecharge offuel rests, and below be approached through the tight-fittingdoors .or covers 0 0, (shown in Figs. 2 and 3,) and each chamber may bechargedwith fuel through openings A in the top of the furnace directlyover them, as shown, which are provided with tight-fitting covers F, asillustrated.

From the top of the second chamber, G, a

:PROCESS oF AN D'APPARATUSEFQR MANUFACTURING WATER-GAS lateralfiue, 0,opens, and may be made to communicate with the funnel or uptake 9 whenjitstight-fitting cover D is removed, as will be understood.

Near .the base of the second chamber, G, but above the grate,thegas-outlet J opens laterally therefrom and connects with" the dip-pipeL, which dips into a mass of water in a chamber, K, which serves both asa water-seal and washer, and from which the gas is led to the holdersthrough the outlet (Z. A siphon-gage ate indicates the pressure of thegas in the chamber K.

Into the ash-pit of each fire-chamber a large air-pipe, B, opens, whichpipes extend from a suitable air-blowing apparatus, and are providedwith regulating-valves H. A steampipe, M, provided with acontrolling-Valve, m, also opens into the base of the first chamber, F,and is connectedwith a source of steam, or, rather, highly-superheatedsteam.

The construction of the apparatus being now explained, the operationisas follows: The chambersF G are charged with coal, coke, or othercarbonaceous material, the first one, F, being preferably charged to agreater height than the second, G, as shown in Fig. l. The fuel isnow'lighted in each chamber, the covers 0 and .f'closed, .the cover Dremoved, and the flue 0 thus allowed to communicate with the funnel g.The air-valves H are now opened and strong blasts of air admittedthrough the air-pip es B, which air rises through the fuelin eachfire-chamber, and thus brings the fuel .into a condition of energeticcombustion, the gases. and smoke from which pass off. freely through thefine and funnel O 9. When the flue is thus brought to a state of clearincandescence, preferably to a bright orange, or at, say, 2200Fahrenheit, the air is shut off, the flue O. closedby replacing thewhich is anash-pit, as illustrated, which may cover D, and thesteam-valve m' opened, thus admitting a stream of superheated steam tothe first chamber, F, which, rising up through the incandescent fueltherein, becomes decomposed and combines with the coal or coke, so as toform a mixture of free hydrogen, marshgas, carbonic oxide, a largepercentage of carbonic acid, and a strong trace of sulphur compounds,depending on the fuel used, which is chiefly in the form of sulphurousacid. This mixture of gases passes through the passage 1) into thesecond fire-chamber, G, through the fire of which it descends, andfinally passes out through the outlet J and dip-pipe L into thewater-seal and washer K, from which it fiows to the holders. During thepassage of the gases from the first fire through the second fire theresultant volume of gas becomes greatly increased and its compositionimproved, for

the carbonic acid from the first chamber becomes changed into thevaluable constituent of carbonic oxide in the second chamber, and thesulphur compounds seem at the same time to become changed into a solubleform, for the gas, after passing through the water of the 2 5 chamberK,is found to be free from any objecand easily managed and of a durableand effective nature,

It may be observed that by having the out let J for the gases above thegrate of the chamber G the grate will not be subjected to such a wearingaction as would be the case if the gases were withdrawn through andbelow the grate, and hence the grate is rendered more durable, and atthe same time the amount of dust or ashes which would be carried by thegas into the washer K is sensibly reduced.

We are aware that in the manufacture of carbonic-oxide gas it has beencommon to discharge a stream of air, together with pulverized fuel,intothe top of a mass of incandescent fuel, down through which the air isforced, while the resulting gases,together with an additional quantityof air, thence pass up through a second fire; but this is obviouslydistinct from our system,which is for the manufacture of water-gas fromsteam and incandescent fuel, and in which the steam passes first throughone fire and the resulting gases through a second fire, the currentpassing, preferably, up

, through the first fire and down through the second, whereby ourproduct is of improved quality and increased quantity.

Ve are also aware that several methods for the manufacture of water-gashave been heretofore proposed, inwh'ich two successive fires 0r massesof fuel have been used with a current of steam, or steam and air passedup through the first mass, and the products thereof thence passed downthrough the second mass; but our invention will be found materiallydifferent from these, both in process and appa ratus, in several points.Thus in one former instance two masses of fuel have been used inseparate fire-chambers connected in successive order at the top, thefirst chamber being charged with a small mass of fuel and the secondchamher with a large mass of fuel. The apparatus is prepared for thegeneration of gas by bringing the first and small mass to an advancedstate of free-air combustion by means of an air-blast blown'up throughthe same, the flaming gases resulting from which are then mixed with airin their passage from the top of the chamber to produce more completecombustion, and thence descend in a flaming state through the large massof unignited fuel in the second chamber, which mass becomes therebyignited and raised to simple incandescence without being much consumed.When this condition is reached the action is changed and the generationof the desired gas commenced. This is effected by shutting off theair-blast and admitting a current of steam up through the second mass offuel,which is-large and has been brought to simple incandescence, andthe products from this are then passed down through the first mass offuel,which is small and has been broughtto an advanced state ofcombustion. Now, in our case it will be noted that the first mass offuel is large and the second small, and both are first raised to anadvanced state of combustion or incandescence by free or forced aircombustion, by means of an air;blast blown up through eachsimultaneously, the gases therefrom being allowed to escape. After thisthe air-blasts are shut off, and steam is then passed up through thefirst and large mass, and the gases resulting therefrom are thencepassed down through the second and small mass without any admixture withair, which results in a materially different quality of gas from thatheretofore produced, one of its chief advantages being great purity, asbefore stated. This purity is probably due to the fact that a great dealof the sulphur and other objectionable ingredients become burned out bythe advanced preliminary or preparatory combustion of the two masses offuel, and

ours in that-we raise our fires or fuel masses to high incandescencebeforecommencing the generation of gas, and we use no air with the steamin generating the gas. Several other instances might benamed of meth odsapproach ing to but distinct from ours; but those named are the nearestapproaches, and our invention will be found to be fully distinguished bywhat has been already stated and by the terms of the followingclaims.

What we claim is 1. The specified process of generating watergas,consisting in first raising two distinct and unequal masses of fuel tohigh incandescenceby forced or free air combustion and allowing theproducts of such combustion to escape, then closing the drafts andforcing a current of steam through the first and larger mass, and thenpassing the products thereof through the second or smaller mass, andfinally passing the resulting gas through a suitable washer to theholders, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The specified mode of producing watergas, consisting in first raisingtwo distinct unequal masses of fuel to high incandescence by forced orfree air combustion and allowing the \Vitnesses:

J osnrn B. SOHM, EMMnr R. OLcorT.

products thereof to escape, then closing the drafts and forcing acurrent of steam up through the first and larger mass, and then passingthe 0 products thereof down through the second and smaller mass,substantially as and for the purpose herein shown anddescribed.

3. The apparatus described, consisting of a furnace formed with twofire-chambers, F G, 3 5 connected in successive order by fiue b, theflue 0, leading from the top of the second firechamber to carry offwaste products of combustion, and means for closing said flue whendesired, distinct air-inlets B B at the base of 0 each fire-chamber toadmit air to establish free combustion in each chamber, and means forclosing said inlets when desired, a steam-con- .duit, M, leading intothe base of the first chamber, beneath the grate thereof, and theoutlets 5 J L, leading from the bottom of the second chamber, above thegrate, into the washer K, when the end of L is submerged, as herein setforth.

WILLIAM W. GIBBS. J. Y. MOQLINTOGK.

